Kuala Lumpur, 23 July 2024 – Ambassador Maria Angela Ponce called on YB Datuk Seri Haji Mohamad bin Sabu, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, on 17 July 2024 at Menara Lembaga Pertubuhan Peladang (LPP).

 

Ambassador Ponce and Minister Mohamad discussed plans to strengthen relations between the Philippines and Malaysia, with a focus on agricultural trade and technical cooperation to achieve food security. Ambassador Ponce highlighted that Malaysia was the Philippines’ top trading partner in agricultural exports among ASEAN member countries in 2023, with Malaysia sourcing various products such as coconut oil, preparations of cereals, flour and starch, and tobacco. The Philippines, on the other hand, is among Malaysia’s top buyers of palm oil.

 

Both welcomed the recent approval of fresh durian importation from the Philippines as confirmed by Malaysia’s Department of Agriculture to the Philippines’ Bureau of Plant Industry. Given the dynamic relations between the two nations in the agricultural sector, Ambassador Ponce and Minister Mohamad underscored the importance of cooperation and intra-ASEAN trade to pursue both nations’ common interests. END

 

 

For more information, please contact: